A conventional curve conveyor, for example, includes a curve conveyor belt with a bead stretched between two end rollers arranged at a predetermined angle on a conveyor main body. The curve conveyor belt is driven by being held between a driving roller and a pinch roller either at an outgoing side or an incoming side of the belt. In order to prevent the belt from only inward shifting due to the centripetal force during rotation, the conveyor belt is provided with the a bead to be engaged with a shift prevention member.
In the above conventional curve conveyor belt, large complex forces such as stretching force act on the portion of the belt that extends from the held position by the driving and pinch rollers to the bead. Therefore, the conventional curve conveyor belt is, in general, formed by joining both ends of a fan-shaped belt-forming sheet with a skiving joint or a step joint.
However, such joint methods make the joining part thicker and increase the number of manufacturing steps, and thereby resulting in rise of manufacturing cost.
One possible way to solve the foregoing problem could be to employ a finger joint system. However, the finger joint system still causes a problem that peeling and breakage are generated in a short period within the belt portion that extends from the held portion between the driving and pinch rollers to the bead.
Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to provide a curve conveyor belt in which (1) neither peeling nor breakage is generated, (2) the joining part does not become thicker, and (3) the manufacturing cost is low.